Friday, October 16, 2009

Wow--I was embarrassed to see my last post still up there. My transitional whining phase is so yesterday I have to replace it with something else.

So...how about...names. There's a topic we can all enjoy.

As a writer I'm a big collector of names. I've gone to cemeteries and written down those belonging to the long deceased. I've been to charity galas and VFW halls and added the names of donors and veterans to my lists. When I travel I like to look at the exits along the highway--the rivers, the bridges, the roads. In fact, the name of the town in my latest book, One Deadly Sin, came from a street sign near my house--Redbud Street.

One of the games I like to play with names is to imagine you're the creator of a whole new town. Maybe it's on the moon or maybe it's an evil new development where bucolic forests once stood. Or maybe it's the bright alteration of a once thriving small town or metropolis. Wherever it is, you have the privilege--no, the honor--of naming the town after yourself. So, what's it gonna be?

If I'm in charge I could name my town Annievllle. Or Annietown. Annieton. Annyton. There--Annyton. New York still retains its early Dutch influence with many place names containing the word "kill"--creek or river. So...Anniekill? How's that for a writer of romantic suspense?

Or I could go with Solomon's Ridge. (This would be in the foothills of the Appalachians or the Smokies). Or there's always Solomon City or Port Solomon (that sounds very South Pacific to me). How about Soloville--the new community on the dark side of the moon.

If we took some of the other writers on the blog and turned their names into towns, what would it be? Susieville? Crandaltown? Elizabeth Hoyt is easy--there must already be a lot of Elizabethtowns around. But what about Hoyt? Hoyt City?